nihilism

CEFRC1

/ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪ.lɪz.m̩/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The belief that life has no meaning or value.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    The rejection of, or opposition to, religious beliefs, (inherent or objective) moral principles, legal rules, etc., often due to the view that life is meaningless (sense 1).

Examples

  • I question the intrinsic value of nihilism.

  • Individuals with schizophrenia often cycle between nihilistic and solipsistic moods—when in the grip of nihilism they appear to have lost experiential contact with their very existence, [...]

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • [-(h)ɨ̞-]
  • /ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The view that all endeavours are devoid of objective meaning.

  2. A delusion that oneself or the world, or parts thereof, have ceased to exist.

  3. The rejection of non-proven or non-rationalized assertions in the social and political spheres of society.

More examples

In context

  • [T]he band members sweat hard enough to earn their pretensions, and maybe even their nihilism.

  • Although Lexiteers have little patience for the national nihilism of “Davos Man,” the globalist elite, we are no xenophobes.

  • Melancholia is the most typical and classical presentation of depression with several compelling features such as impoverishment of emotional life and delusions of nihilism or guilt.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The philosophical doctrine of blank claims that life has no meaning, purpose, or value.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Probably borrowed from French nihilisme, German Nihilismus, or Late Latin nihilismus; the French, German, and Latin words are derived from Latin nihil (“indefinite nothing”), from nihilum (“nothing”), from ne- (prefix negating the principal meaning) + hīlum (“a trifle; not in the least”). The English word is cognate with Italian nichilismo, Spanish nihilismo, Russian нигили́зм (nigilízm), philosophical doctrine grounded on negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life; emptiness; lack of education and cultural refinement.